Beginners [M]

Oliver is thirty-something, single, and still bears the scars of broken past relationships of all kinds, not just romantically, but familial as well. Just months after losing his father, who after the death of his wife of 45 years, had come out and led a full, gay life, Oliver falls in love with the cheeky and strikingly different, Anna, and his feelings for her reawaken memories and feelings from his past, which make for a very confusing and awkward courtship. 

This is a lovely little film that depicts life, loss, and love in all its glorious messiness and uncertainty. The story is simple, but it was the performances from the cast that gave the film its reflective quality, causing the audience to be unsure and tentative about what to feel towards it. By extension, it’s a wonderful example of audience participation as the watchers gathered around the screen are in the exact same emotional frame of mind as the characters, thereby really being able to understand, empathise, and relate to them. It’s a very clever and lovely little movie that saw Christopher Plummer, at the age of 82, win his first Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. 

Oliver is thirty-something, single, and still bears the scars of broken past relationships of all kinds, not just romantically, but familial as well. Just months after losing his father who, after the death of his wife of 45 years had come out and led a full, gay life, Oliver meets and falls in love with the cheeky and strikingly different, Anna, and his feelings for her reawaken memories and feelings from his past, in particular his childhood, which make for a very confusing and awkward courtship. 

Essentially, what made this film so captivating and genuinely intriguing was the performances from the cast. The simple story about emotional confusion, coping, and people putting on faces; brave, happy, what have you, naturally called for a subtle and real melancholy, which posed a fair challenge for the cast I would imagine; I believe that it would be incredibly hard to act being confused, and make it believable and not dramatic, and this film’s natural vibe of melancholy and tentativeness is strong and infectious. 

Ewan McGregor stars as Oliver in one his best performances. I love, just love Ewan and watching him in this film was completely and unutterably captivating. He delivered a beautiful performance that was grief-stricken, unstable, confused, tentative, trying, and a little trapped. He was a deliciously melancholy character and one that was completely natural that the audience could relate. I love you Ewan! 

Christopher Plummer’s Academy Award winning performance was another that was wholeheartedly genuine. The risk with playing a supporting role that is gay and, rather stereotypically, demanding, would be a good challenge because you have to tread a fine line between what is memorable and what is demanding. Christopher balanced that tightrope with sophisticated flare and subtlety and delivered a performance that was proud, content, and real. I cried. 

Starring Melanie Laurent, who is just beautiful, Goran Visnjic, Kai Lennox, and Mary Page Keller, Beginners is a wonderful drama that has delightful moments of comedy and warmth interspersed throughout. Filled with grief, loss, memories, romance, drama, flashbacks, comedy, and emotional treks, it really is a beautiful little film that I would highly recommend.